


Last for Love

by tracy7307



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-02
Updated: 2011-04-02
Packaged: 2017-10-31 21:36:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/348602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tracy7307/pseuds/tracy7307
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur gets a papercut.  Merlin makes it better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last for Love

**Title:** Last for Love  
 **Author/Artist Name:** [](http://tracy7307.livejournal.com/profile)[**tracy7307**](http://tracy7307.livejournal.com/)  
 **Fic or Art?:** fic  
 **Summary:** Arthur gets a papercut. Merlin makes it better.  
 **Rating:** PG  
 **Length:** 610 words  
 **Warnings:** none (schmoopy fluff, as per usual with me)  
 **A/N** thanks to [](http://rebeccaann08.livejournal.com/profile)[**rebeccaann08**](http://rebeccaann08.livejournal.com/) for looking this over! *glomps* Written for [](http://merlin-melee.livejournal.com/profile)[**merlin_melee**](http://merlin-melee.livejournal.com/) If you liked it, vote for it [here](http://www.livejournal.com/poll/?id=1725798)!

﻿  
Merlin figured he should remain close. The way things were looking, it would only be a matter of time before things turned sour.

He swept the floor to the sound of Arthur shuffling parchment on the table. The swish of the broom combined with Arthur muttering _Fuck_ and _This isn’t bloody right_ created a discordant symphony of labour and frustration.

Arthur’s brows furrowed together in confusion as he drummed his fingers on the table, eyes raking across the piles of papers splayed in front of him.

“Sire?” Merlin prompted.

Arthur’s eyes snapped up. “What?”

“Everything okay?”

“No,” Arthur growled, “everything is not bloody well okay.”

Calmly, Merlin put down his broom. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Arthur said slowly, as if Merlin were the biggest imbecile in all of Albion. “What’s wrong you ask? Well, _this_ is what’s wrong.” He snatched up a parchment. “Lord Dunmore can’t quite seem to keep proper count of his grain stores,” he tossed the paper carelessly. Merlin watched it flutter to the freshly-swept floor.

“And Lord Raglan apparently details his crops report by scribbling random numbers in no logical order,” Arthur snarled as he flung a parchment littered with scribbles.

“Maybe-” Merlin started to say.

“And this _crops report_ speaks only of the count of pigs. _Pigs_ , Merlin. How does one even get the word _pigs_ from the word _crops_?”

“Sire, if I may, I can-”

“I can’t make heads or tails of these,” he said, deflating slowly. “What am I to tell Father?”

Merlin began reaching for the parchment in which Arthur held. “Sire, sometimes another pair of eyes can-” As Merlin reached for the document, he gripped it and pulled it awkwardly from Arthur, inadvertently slicing his finger with the paper.

“AH!” Arthur shouted while a bright red line swelled with blood across the pad of his index finger. “BLOODY FUCKING FUCK! OW!”

A crease formed between Merlin’s brows. “It’s just a papercut, Sire, surely-”

Arthur brought the finger to his lips and gently sucked.

Merlin's thoughts were suddenly not quite as pure as he watched the digit disappear between Arthur’s full, pink lips.

“Fucking hell,” Arthur mumbled around the finger, “feels like a throbbing heart.”

Merlin pondered the pathetic scene in front of him: the prince at the height of frustration, finger in his mouth, sucking gently like a child in need.

“Here, let me,” Merlin said, laying the parchment on the table and pulling Arthur’s hand from his mouth. “Mum used to do this when I was little and I’d hurt myself.”

He brought Arthur’s finger to his lips. It was no longer bleeding, although there was still a pink line along the fingertip.

“Once for your health,” Merlin steeled his nerves and kissed the fingertip.

“Twice for God above,” he pressed his lips twice this time with Arthur’s gaze trained on Merlin’s lips.

“Three times for wealth.” Merlin’s eyes slid closed as he kissed three times, readying himself for the final line.

“And last for love.” He caressed Arthur’s hurt finger softly with his lips.

He barely registered Arthur’s gasp above the thrumming of blood in his ears.

The touch of Arthur’s hand to his cheek made him open his eyes, and he let Arthur’s other hand slide out of his grasp and fall away from his lips. Arthur traced Merlin’s cheekbone with his thumb. “Hunith said that to you when you were hurt?” he asked softly.

“Yes,” Merlin replied, turning his head and placing a kiss into Arthur’s palm.

“How many times a day did you hear then?” Arthur smiled as his hand moved to cup Merlin’s jaw.

“Arthur?”

“Merlin?”

“Shut up.”

And Merlin silenced him with a kiss.


End file.
